Oscar Nominations: The Snubs, Surprises and Backlash Begin

Before the sun came up in California 2010 Best Supporting Actress winner Monique and the Academy of Motion Picture Sciences president Tom Sherak gave the entertainment industry an early start with this morning’s live broadcast of the Academy Award nominations. Mo’nique and the AMPAS chief announced the actors that will be wearing tuxedos on February 27th, and which actresses will be made fun of by Joan Rivers. After months of speculation, in what has felt like an never-ending Oscar season, we finally get to complain about the 2011 Academy Award nominees, and which films, actors, directors, and costume design teams got screwed over.

And as we all know Americans are amongst the greatest complainers in the world, so lets commence bitching.

SNUBS & SURPRISES

Snub: Christopher Nolan
Seriously? Apparently the dream within a dream (x3) flick perplexed the Academy’s voters as much as 11-year-old film critics, while the film was nominated for Best Picture (which it has a 0.00% chance at winning), Christopher Nolan was snubbed from a well-deserved Best Director nomination. Nolan’s film dared to prove that a summer blockbuster can be both entertaining and intellectual. However the two most celebrated aspects of the film: it’s direction and editing went unrecognized by the Academy.

Surprise: True Grit
After being completely ignored by the Golden Globes—it literally received zero nominations—the Coen brothers flick took home 10 Oscar nominations, the second most behind “The King’s Speech”‘s 12. Their well-deserved haul included nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actress. It’s amazing what a few box office dollars can do for a film during awards season.

Snub: Ryan Gosling
It seems strange that Williams would be nominated without Gosling considering how much each character depends on the other. But I guess the Academy just feels it’s better to receive than give—cunnilingus that is.

Surprise: Hailee Steinfeld
It’s not a surprise that she got nominated, but it’s curious what she got nominated for. Hailee Steinfeld, the break-out star of “True Grit” was without a doubt the lead in the film, yet she garnered a nomination for Best Supporting Actress where she will do battle against the ladies from “The Fighter,” Melissa Leo and Amy Adams. Plus she’s 14 years old.

Snub: Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Nic Cage’s clothes in the film have shockingly gone completely unnoticed this awards season. It’s one of the few times that an outfit accurately corresponds with an actor’s ridiculousness.

Surprise: Javier Bardem
Apparently Bardem left a large impression on Julia Roberts in the pretty darn awful “Eat, Pray, Love.” Because her lobbying definitely helped Bardem receive a rare Best Actor nomination for a non-English speaking role.